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Newberg Friends Church

Published

on April 5, 2008

in Faith, Family, Friends, My church and Thoughts

. 1 Comment

I go to church with my family every Sunday in a large historic brick building in the center of the older part of Newberg.

I know that “the church” is really the people, and that we would be the church even if we met in a school gymnasium or a coffee shop, but when I think of my church, I think of this building. It has been a large part of my life and I am extremely thankful for it.

Here are some memories and important events that have happened to me at Newberg Friends Church:

In Junior High I sang in the youth choir led by Dennis Hagen. We got to wear those awesome purple choir robes!
In the early seventies I remember the older high school kids “rebelling against the establishment” by daring to wear Levis to church. I remember wondering what was going to happen to them…
I loved to sit with my buddies in the back row of the balcony. My dad often sang in the choir, and when his eye caught mine—that was enough for me to start paying attention!
I knelt at the alter as a young high schooler during some special evening meetings, responding to God’s voice. I was already a “believer,” but I made an important commitment to Christ there.
Also as a high schooler, our youth group was in charge of a service one Sunday, and believe it or not, I preached. Really! My sermon was from John 3—Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus on being “born again.” (It was a pretty short message! )
I listened to my pastors’ sermons through the years, Fred Littlefield, Richard Foster, Ron Woodward, Dick Sartwell, Gregg Koskela and many others. They preached, taught, warned, encouraged, reminded, guided, and overall just pointed me to Jesus.
I have sat in silent open worship well over 1500 times there, and gazed at the beams, the stain glass windows, and the woodwork, as I listened to Christ… or just sat… and waited.
Deanne and I said our vows to each other there on March 22, 1986, in a ceremony that brought together many friends and family. My grandfather, Oscar Brown, and Deanne’s pastor from Hillsboro friends, Earl Perisho, officiated.
Deanne and I had each of our kids dedicated to God publicly there.

I often wonder how those early Friends pulled it off over 115 years ago. How did they decide where to build and when to build? How much to spend? What it would look like and how big it would be? They certainly had a vision for the future.

I have a great love for NFC, and am excited about what God is doing among us, the people that meet there these days.

Here is a list of things I am thankful for today:

We have an incredibly gifted, committed and caring staff
We have many wonderful people from a wide variety of backgrounds and places
We have all ages well represented—babies, children, youth, young adults, young families, middle-agers, and retired people
Our focus is on following Christ. We are His friends.

Thank God for NFC!

Getting out of the Zone

Published

Michael Comfort

on February 13, 2008

in Thoughts

. 1 Comment

Sherry asked me to write an article for our church newsletter. Whoa! I haven’t officially written a “paper” since college! Here it is in case you’re interested. Thanks for asking, Sherry! And thanks to you Kathy for the springboard! Your honest question got me thinking at the exact time I was looking for a topic! Here it is:

—

I read the following question in a friend’s blog recently. It had to do with sharing in a small group, being open with others and how uncomfortable that can be. I completely understand the feelings behind this:

“I want to know why God is so set against people being in their comfort zone. I mean, really. What is so bad about being able to relax and skate through life sometimes?”

What is a “comfort zone” anyway? My own definition says it is a place inside of us where we feel the least amount of mental or emotional stress or risk. I suspect everyone’s individual comfort zone looks a bit different, depending on what their own strengths and weaknesses are, but each one of us knows exactly where the boundaries of our own comfort zones are.

A person’s comfort zone wields a lot of power and can determine lots of things—big things and little things. It influences where you will live, where you will travel, who you will talk to or associate with, how generous you will be, and many other things. Most importantly, it determines how much you will grow.

Now I am going to step outside of my comfort zone…and tell you about mine! I know it very well. The boundaries of my zone are defined by fear—sometimes the fear of failure, but mostly the fear of what people will think. I am not afraid of a lot of things (heights, enclosed spaces, spiders, etc.), but this fear is real for me. It has some to do with my personality, but mostly it has to do with where I have settled over time. I spend most of my time inside my comfort zone, and usually it is because I am afraid of venturing out of it.

This brings me to the thought in the blog quoted at the beginning. Is God against a person being in their comfort zone? I suppose it depends on why they are there. If the person stays there because of fear, then yes, I think God is against that. Not everything about a comfort zone is bad, though. When God made humans, he knew we would need to be able to relax and feel safe. And I am sure He uses us right where we are, no matter what, but the edges of our comfort zones are where we grow, so we have to step out of there from time to time!

I believe that if we try to follow Christ, and seek to do what is pleasing to him, our comfort zones will naturally grow to include more things that are not there now—more things that honor and please Him! That is part of the transforming power of God. He wants to make us more like Himself. Like Christ! God’s love, joy, and peace flowing through us will make us more accepting, more giving, more open, and yes, less fearful.

Because of how we were made, it may always be difficult to step out of certain parts of our comfort zones. As for me, I may never feel comfortable speaking in front of large groups of people, but who knows what God has in mind, His power is so great. As I have been opening up with individual friends, and sharing my thoughts in smaller groups, it has been getting easier. Just like in the physical world, doing difficult things—even in small steps—makes us stronger, gives us more confidence, and may even be a real help to those we interact with!

Here are some other things I’ve decided to work on…to push out the walls of my zone. (Remember—yours may look different!)

Don’t wait…be the first to greet someone (this is an easy one)
Say “hi” to people I don’t know very well (a little harder, but OK)
Smile at strangers (This is more risky! I tried this at Lowe’s last week. It was fun to see other people smile back or nod, or look away)
Make a fool of myself (What?! Did I write that?)
Admit I was wrong (really hard to do, but the results are good!)
Ask for help from other people and from God. (Do I really think I can make it through life on my own intelligence and strength?)
Give more (time, money, advice, whatever anyone asks—just be generous)

As I have thought about this theme, it occurred to me that these things not only apply to us as individuals, but as a body of believers here at NFC. Our corporate comfort zone needs to keep expanding, and adapting to include more things that please God too!

My prayer:

“Jesus, my own comfort has become too important, and determines too many things! I want to be in a place where I am more ready to respond to your promptings, but I often feel confined by the walls I’ve built around myself. I am afraid of what might happen, and what people will think. Please replace that fear with your strength. Thank you that you have helped me to ignore my comfort zone at times—to get out of the way, and let you live through me!”

Something Heavy

Published

Michael Comfort

on January 23, 2008

in Thoughts

. 2 Comments

At church last Sunday we were given important reminders about caring for our environment and being good stewards of our resources. I really am grateful for the way Gregg presented the information and challenge. It was scriptural and practical. I like the idea that re-using, reducing and recycling can actually be a form of worshiping God. It shows that we care about what He made.

Gregg’s message has stimulated some interesting blog discussions which have all been very good. I started thinking last night about the environment and our minds. There are similarities between pollution and sin:

We all are stuck in a system where both are out of control
Maybe we can’t avoid either of them completely, but we all need to try to be as pure as we can
We each need to look at both pollution and sin on a personal level. It’s more important than judging what other people do.
Pollution is sin against the earth, sea, and sky; sin is pollution in our minds, bodies, and relationships

This comparison breaks down when I think about solutions.

The problem of pollution and wise use of resources will only be solved when we all work together. The problem of sin and impurity will only be solved when we individually come to Christ.

This is a picture of a contaminated river. It is also what we all look like inside.

On MLK and the NBA

Published

Michael Comfort

on January 21, 2008

in Thoughts

. 0 Comments

I’ve been a Blazer fan since the 70’s. I haven’t always been thrilled with the guys they’ve had on the roster, but like a lot of people, I’m liking what I’m seeing these days.

Stories came out today about the coach and a group of Blazer players touring some MLK sites in Atlanta on Sunday. I like to read about this team whenever I can, but these articles caught my attention in a different way. They paint a picture of the players as people, and what they did on their day off.

To see the house where he was born, and to go to the gym where he played some hoop was kind of cool. It’s like you get to walk in his shoes for a minute, which is a great moment, especially for us being African American males. Because of a lot of the things we are able to do today are things he fought for.”—Brandon Roy

It’s not so much that the game means anything more (the Blazers play Atlanta on MLK Day), but the day itself means a lot. You get to reflect on some of the things that he did to make it easier for minorities in this nation. So just to be a part of that, and to know the history, it’s something special.”—Martell Webster

I think it is good for them to see that, it’s educational for them. Life is about opportunities, and for me, I ask, ‘Would I have had this opportunity (to coach) 40 or 50 years ago?’ No. So that’s what this is all about: In life, we hope for an opportunity to show what we are capable of doing, and he helped give us all that opportunity.”—Nate McMillan

I like to use it as a day of reflection. Just to look back and remember how people sacrificed their lives just to have us be able to have a chance or opportunity in life like this.”—Jarrett Jack

We all benefited by Mr. King’s efforts, but it is especially cool to see these particular guys making the effort to go back and honor the man that made it all possible.

You can read more in this Oregonian story, and here at ESPN. I like how the ESPN story mentions that that education and scripture were important in the King household. These are good foundations for everyone.

Childermas

Published

Michael Comfort

on December 28, 2007

in Thoughts

. 0 Comments

Today, December 28, is Childermas, or “the Feast of the Holy Innocents.” It commemorates the day the children (boys 2-years-old and younger) of Bethlehem were massacred by King Herod in an attempt to kill the baby Jesus. He was angry that the Wise Men had betrayed him, and left without telling him where Jesus was.

This event, recorded in Matthew 2:16-18 isn’t included in our usual North American Christmas stories! Bolivia was different. When I was a kid it was a normal part of the Christmas drama at church! I remember seeing the actors playing the role of Roman soldiers grabbing dolls from the women on stage and pulling the dolls heads off! It made a real big impression on me!

There is still a lot of evil in this world, but Jesus is on the throne, and this gives us our unshakable hope.

Here’s an interesting item from a Catholic web site…

The fourth day of Christmas commemorates these baby boys, who are considered martyrs — the very first martyrs (St. Stephen, whose Feast was commemorated 2 days ago, was the first martyr of the Church Age). As Bethlehem was a small town, the number of these Holy Innocents was probably no more than 25, but they are glorious martyrs who died not only for Christ, but in His place.”